ESCURSIONI A TERRA

Experience country life in a village near Kusadasi, where you will mingle with the residents and help them harvest crops. You might discover how the villagers spend most days, earn livings and view the rest of the world. This frank, face-to-face conversation will offer great insight into country life, and you can expect the villagers to reciprocate and ask about your life. A meandering walk through the village will bring you to fields of fruits or vegetables, depending on the season. There, you will have the opportunity to join the villagers as they harvest the farm’s crops. What better way to experience rural life than to be a genuine part of it, sharing each moment as if you were a local? Chances are, you will work up an appetite, which will easily be appeased with a hearty Turkish breakfast, known as “kahvalti.” It typically includes cheeses, black and green olives, spicy sausages, fruit preserves and fresh-baked bread.

HIGHLIGHTS:
• Mingle with the locals in a small village on the outskirts of Kusadasi.
• Learn about the farmers’ rural lifestyle and join them in a harvest, if you wish.
• Enjoy a hearty Turkish breakfast with country favorites such as sausage, cheeses and olives.

Explore the village of Krousonas and engage in activities that will provide an authentic glimpse into daily life. Your first stop will be the St. Irene of Kroussonas Monastery, which was extraordinarily affluent in the 1600s. However, the monastery was abandoned during the Ottoman rule of Greece, left in ruins and not rebuilt until 1940. Following an enlightening tour of the monastery now turned convent, the resident nuns will offer you a homemade sweet. You will next visit the village of Kroussonas to meet some of the shopkeepers, starting with a boot maker and baker. Both will be quite willing to discuss their businesses and day-to-day lives. To become even further immersed in the local culture, you will watch a folkloric dance performance, see a cheese-making demonstration, learn to prepare Cretan cheese pie, and taste local varieties of olive oil and wine. Few culinary experiences are so wide ranging and informative. A traditional Cretan lunch follows.

HIGHLIGHTS:
• Delve into local life in Krousonas, a village on the eastern slopes of the Ida Mountains.
• Browse a convent that was an affluent monastery in the 17th century
• Converse with shopkeepers, watch a folkloric performance and sample traditional foods.

Hop on our classic-like trolley bus for an enjoyable and fun way to visit the highlights of downtown Cozumel and have some spare time for strolling and shopping by the main square.

After meeting your guide at the pier, you will board your trolley and enjoy the sightseeing as well as the entertaining narrative about Cozumel's fascinating history. Visit key points of the city such as the Church of the Cross. It was built in 2018 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the first mass celebrated on the island – and in Mexico.

Stretch the legs and explore the shops by the main square. Find goods from all over; from cheerful crafts to sophisticated brand clothing, jewelry, and perfumes.

Don't miss the opportunity to take some selfies by the colorful Cozumel add or the gigantic Mexican flag before it is time to go back to the ship after a memorable outing.

Capture the moment by taking the perfect selfie photo in Split! Instantly share your experience with family & friends on your favorite social media site as many of the stops will include wi-fi in real time.

Your tour begins with an orientation drive thru Split with designated selfie stops at: • Bacvice Beach
• Split National Theatre
• Vidilica Viewpoint
• S. Dominous Cathedral
• And MORE!

To make this experience even more fun you will be provided with a selfie stick to help catch your best pose. Your picture-perfect day includes a local snack of smoked ham, cheese and a glass of wine. End the day with some free time to explore on your own before returning to the ship.

Gain a greater understanding of Northern Ireland and its culture by following a foodie guide through Belfast, pausing every so often to sample classic dishes and delicacies.

After departing from the pier, you will soon reach the heart of Belfast, where you will commence a walking tour, accompanied by a local food enthusiast. The exact locations to be visited will be determined the day of the excursion, but they will definitely be establishments that best represent the cuisine of Northern Ireland. These will be the markets, restaurants and cafés that the locals frequent, rather than those typically found in guide books.

You may well start at St. George’s Market, the oldest covered market on the entire island of Ireland. While browsing the stalls and soaking up the atmosphere, you will sample delicacies that are distinctly Irish. You may be offered a chunk of fried eel or a bite of Belfast bap, a hearty sandwich typically loaded with Irish bacon, scrambled eggs and cheddar cheese.

Continuing on to other foodie locales, you might try a few spoonfuls of colcannon, a mixture of mashed potatoes, cabbage, cream and butter. Of course, potatoes appear in all sorts of classic dishes such as Irish stew, Ulster fry and boxty, a tasty potato pancake.

Other Irish staples that you may sample include fluffy soda bread and wheaten farls. The latter is a griddle cake that is served in quarters known as farls.

Discover how the natural resources on Amami are maximized to create products that are revered far beyond the island. The silk produced there is particularly valued and has been for more than 1,300 years. As you will see at Oshima Tsumugi Village, the silk manufacturing involves dozens of processes that take up to six months to complete, resulting in distinct textiles with remarkably detailed patterns. You will notice while driving around the island that Amami is almost completely covered with trees, including sago palms. These iron-rich plants are used for dying silk and often eaten despite being toxic if not properly prepared. You will learn about the multi-step process to remove the toxins at Ankiyaba. Bananas are also grown there for their natural fibers, which are used in textiles. The brown sugar from the island’s abundant sugar cane is a key ingredient in making shochu, a unique distilled liquor that you will sample after touring a brewery.

HIGHLIGHTS:
• Watch a remarkably complex silk manufacturing process that produces distinct textiles.
• Discover how sago palms and bananas trees are harvested for various industries.
• Tour a brewery that makes the distilled liquor shochu and sample the product.

Capture the moment by taking the perfect selfie photo in Florence & Pisa! Instantly share your experience with family & friends on your favorite social media site selfie experts will teach you how to take the best selfie photo including composition, posing, lighting etc. Capture the spirit of this incredible destination.

Your tour will start with a scenic drive from the ship to Piazza della Signoria. Your walking tour will have designated selfie stops at: • Santa Maria de Fiore Cathedral
• Piazza della Repubblica
• Ponte Vecchio
• Piazzale Michelangelo
• The Tower of Pisa

Travel by panoramic coach on a tour that offers fascinating insights on the lives of those who make the sometimes-harsh landscape of Iceland’s Westfjords their home. Beginning from the pier, you’ll drive through the streets of Isafjordur and out along the coastal road for a tour of wondrously remote Bolungarvik, a fishing village towered over by its surrounding mountains. Nearby, you’ll stop at the outdoor Ósvör Museum, where a century-old fisherman’s hut has been restored, complete with the tools of the trade – and the fisherman.

On another leg of the journey, you’ll find yourself up amidst breathtaking views of the magnificent mountains of the Djup, largest of the West Fjords and the Buna River. Not far from that spot, you’ll stop to admire a beautiful stepped waterfall in Tunguskogur and take an opportunity to taste the freshest, clearest mountain water you may ever have encountered. Back in Isafjordur, you’ll stop in at the Maritime and Folk Museum, which calls one of the town’s oldest and best-preserved houses its home. The museum presents an excellent collection of artifacts related to the region’s maritime history – as well as a sizable accordion collection. Gotta have something to do during those long winters.

Capture the moment by taking the perfect selfie photo in Mallorca ! Instantly share your experience with family & friends on your favorite social media site as some of the stops might include wi-fi in real time. Your accompanying guide will help you choose the spot to take the best selfie photo including composition, posing, lighting etc. Capture the spirit of this incredible destination.

Discover Mallorca’s wealth of treasures that is a must-see for every visit to the island, and which will take your breath away on each and every click. You will have designated selfie stops at: • Bellver Castle
• La Escollera & Cathedral
• Valldemossa
• Na Foradada/Son Marroig
• Port De Soller

Become familiar with the workings of a dairy farm that runs on solar energy and follows practices that reduce stress on the animals. The farm is adjacent to the Sant’Alberto Solar Park, one of the largest photovoltaic plants in Italy, which supplies the renewable energy in a manner that doesn’t disturb the grazing sheep. The name Buon Pastore, which translates to “good shepherd,” is fitting as the dairy is passionate about treating the animals and pastures with great respect. The automatic system that milks the sheep is designed to be as gentle and agreeable as possible. The extracted milk is then made into a variety of cheeses, a process that you will watch through a large glass wall. The farm also keeps bees, which produce the honey for the tasting that follows the tour. You will also be offered Buon Pastore cheeses that have been aged in a stone-lined cave, fresh-baked flatbread, and local wines.

HIGHLIGHTS
• Wander about an eco-friendly dairy farm that runs on solar energy.
• Recognize how the sheep and pastureland are treated with great respect.
• Watch the cheese-making process step by step.
• Sample a selection of cheeses, honey, flatbread, and wines made on the farm or locally.

HELPFUL HINTS
• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

Capture the moment by taking the perfect selfie photo in Rome! Instantly share your experience with family & friends on your favorite social media site as many of the stops will include wi-fi in real time. Professional photographers & selfie experts will teach you how to take the best selfie photo including composition, posing, lighting etc. Capture the spirit of this incredible destination.

Your tour will start with a scenic drive from the ship to Rome. Your walking tour will have designated selfie stops at: • Colosseum
• Imperial Forum
• Campidoglio
• Borghese Gardens
• Pinicio Terrace
• Spanish Steps
• Trevi Fountain
• Navona Square
• St. Peter’s Square

To make this experience even more fun you will be provided with a selfie stick to help catch the perfect picture. In addition, you will enjoy some free time at Navona Square and end your picture-perfect day with a gelato near St. Peter’s Square.

Stroll through the atmospheric streets of the Old Quarter on the way to a nightclub, where you will watch a mesmerizing flamenco performance that tells a passionate story. After walking from the pier, you will continue at a leisurely pace toward the narrow, cobbled streets of the Old Quarter, which the Phoenicians founded in the 12th century. Being the oldest continuously occupied city in Western Europe, Cadiz exudes history, as you will soon discover in the Plaza of San Juan de Dios, a square that originated in medieval times.

As you meander the labyrinthine streets of the Old Quarter, you will pass one architectural treasure after another. Highlights may include the Neoclassical-style Cadiz Cathedral, which boasts a tile dome that appears Moorish, and Calle Ancha, a wide boulevard that is considered the heart of the city. In time, you will arrive at Taberna Flamenco La Cava, a nightclub that showcases the art of flamenco. Before taking your seat, be sure to notice the photos on the wall of some of the most acclaimed flamenco performers in the past 50 years. UNESCO honored flamenco by recognizing it on its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Andalusia, especially Cadiz, is the heartland of flamenco, an electrifying art form that fuses expressive songs, passionate dancing and emotional music. To enhance your immersion into the local culture, you will be served traditional tapas that may include Serrano ham and Manchego cheese.